


Give Back My Ren

by EstelweNadia



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Established Relationship, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Out of Character, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 17:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16142243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstelweNadia/pseuds/EstelweNadia
Summary: "Would it kill you to be serious for at least once in your pathetic life, Jinguuji?!"Ren suddenly changed his personality, from a flirt to someone serious, and STARISH found that they didn't like it one bit.





	Give Back My Ren

**Author's Note:**

> This should have been another chapter for my RP Prompts but oh well ^^;

_Send <insert emoji> for my muse to act the opposite of their behavior. _

* * *

 

There was something strange about Ren lately.

He was more subdued than usual; his eyes didn't glow with his signature mischief, there was no half amused smirk on his face and when he spoke, instead of his usual flirtatious intent, his grammar was precise, his tone serious and formal, his demeanor polite but distant. 

Ren changed his way of dressing up too. He no longer sport an attire meant to be casual yet subtly provocative, meant to captivate and charm - he now dressed as if he stepped right out of a famous business fashion wear cover page.

He was so unlike the Ren that they were used to, it was unnerving.

"I do not think it is wise to allow Kurusu-san to undertake the role of the warrior, because it is what expected of him," Ren was saying, fingers steepling together thoughtfully. "We must surprise the audience and our fans by doing the unexpected."

They found it unsettling and weird that Ren now forgoed his fond nicknames and started to address them formally instead.

Syo flinched when Ren called him Kurusu instead of Ochibi-chan like he had used to, although he quickly tried to surpress his reaction.

"Then what is your suggestion, Ren?" Otoya asked, his brows furrowing. 

There was a slight pause as Ren regarded each of them calmly. Then he briefly consulted the papers at his table.

"Kurusu-san to become the village flirt, and the warrior, Ichinose-san," Ren said finally.

"Me? A flirt?!" Syo shrieked, "Isn't that supposed to be you?! "

"Attempt the impossible, Kurusu-san. Be the unexpected," Ren smiled, his voice was that of cheerful steel. "Ichinose-san, a studious reader and a scholar of the village, will be perfect for the role of a warrior because it is least expected of him."

Tokiya looked at Ren. "Then which role would you undertake?"

"I would be the village healer," Ren answered, "Yes, I know Hijirikawa is expected to be a healer, but I think he best suit a villainous role."

"Shinomiya-san will assume the role of the village head, while Ittoki-san and Aijima-san will be traveling storyteller and musician." Ren continued.

The room fell silent as everyone tried to digest what Ren had just said.

"Of course, we can always try out the roles to see if we can pull it off, but in any case it didn't succeed, we can always change the roles again. Although I think that it is best to attempt something out of our comfort zone, to broaden our skills and experiences as rising actors and idols of the industry. "

* * *

  _Flashback:_

_"Would it kill you to be serious for at least once in your pathetic life, Jinguuji?!" Masato snapped._

_The entire room fell silent as everyone looked at Masato in barely disguised shock at his outburst._

_It had been a long, grueling week for STARISH. They had undergone countless rehearsals and retakes, trainings and practices to deliver the best performance possible since their last public appearance as a complete group months ago._

_It was understandable why Masato snapped - despite the pressure weighing down on them, Ren was clearly unaffected. It showed in his gleaming eyes and teasing smirk, exuding a radiant, lighthearted aura in the midst of gloom and despair._

_"Masato!" Tokiya hissed in warning, glaring at the pianist in question before darting his gaze towards Ren._

_It was merely a split second, but Tokiya caught a flash of pain in Ren's eyes before Ren swiftly chased it away._

_"Ren..."_

_Tokiya reached out to him, to offer comfort and solace, but Ren stepped well out of reach. His fists clenched at his sides, and they were trembling slightly from the surpressed hurt and anger coursing through him._

_"Well, looks like I'm done for the night," Ren said brightly, choosing to withdraw from the situation instead of countering what Masato had said, which would undoubtedly escalated into a fight. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Don't stay up too late!"_

_Tokiya darted out of the room after Ren, but Ren was nowhere to be found._

* * *

 Present:

"Masato."

It had been a week since Ren had changed into someone they didn't know. They didn't like this serious, no nonsense Ren. They wanted their old jovial, flirtatious Ren back, the one who fondly called them by their nicknames, perpetually smirking and teasing yet intense in his own carefree way.

Masato looked up from his piano, right into Tokiya's smoldering gaze and disapproving scowl.

"Apologize to Ren." Tokiya said coldly.

Masato dropped his gaze, clenching his fists nervously below the piano keys.

"I do not care about the pride of Hijirikawa clan and Jinguuji clan, or whatever that has been going on with the two of you. Ren is more than my friend, and he deserves your apology. I want the old Ren back, not the Ren you forced him to be."

"... I did not mean for him to turn out this way," Masato whispered, barely discernible. "I was angry."

"Being angry doesn't give you the right to be mean," Tokiya had never sounded so icy, so hostile. "I do not care what you have to do, but give us back STARISH's Ren. Give back _my_ Ren."

Tokiya did not wait for Masato's startled gasp. He turned on his heels and left.

* * *

 

The next day:

STARISH braced themselves for yet another day of serious Ren.

He hadn't appeared yet, which was strange because serious Ren was punctual, if not early.

And then they heard it; fervent but familiar squeals of excited fangirls clamoring for attention, chanting, "Jinguuji-san! Jinguuji-san!" followed by husky, but delighted laughter.

Ren's.

Startled, STARISH stood up, eyes wide in anticipation. They hadn't heard Ren's laughter in a long time and they were not dreaming, were they?

"I'm afraid not, my beautiful ladies," they could hear Ren drawling, resulting in disappointed, dramatic sighs. Ren's voice was nearing, as were his footsteps. "I am saving this lovely rose, for someone truly special. Perhaps one day this rose might be yours, if you somehow manage to capture my heart."

With that Ren stepped into the room and closed the door, chuckling softly in mirth, his shoulders shaking. 

Ren hadn't turn around yet. But they could see that he was back to his casual, careless attire, and when Ren turned around, they waited with bated breath. 

_Could it be that - !_

The gleam of mischief was back in Ren's eyes, and so was the teasing smirk. He ignored them as he purposefully strode over to speechless Tokiya, executed a low, sweeping bow and presented him a stalk of vibrant red rose. 

"Icchi, as my truly special someone, would you accept this humble gift of mine, a rose in its wondrous bloom?"

Tokiya didn't blush. He didn't. But he took the rose with slightly trembling fingers, his face softening with relief and tenderness.

"Welcome back, Ren."

Ren blinked at him. Several heartbeats later, he burst into laughter.

"Why are you making that face? I didn't go anywhere!"

"You did!" Syo's accusing, quavering voice startled them, as both turned around to face the rest of the STARISH. "You were as good as gone. It's like something else possessed you and, and, and..."

Ren's features softened. "Ochibi-chan..."

"We missed you," Otoya said softly, eyes tearing up. "Yes, you were with us but at the same time, you were not, because you were not you..."

"Ikki..."

"Ren who is not Ren is not Ren," Cecil said fiercely. "Please, no matter what people say, no matter how much they want you to change, please don't change. Ren is not the same without Ren being Ren."

"Cesshi..."

"We missed your teasings and your jokes, your smiles and laughter, Ren-san. We missed you calling us by the nicknames you have given us." Natsuki said sadly. "I didn't feel like cooking anymore because you were different."

"Shinomi..."

"Jinguuji," Masato began. Instinctively Tokiya stepped in front of Ren, semi blocking Ren from Masato, which seemed absurd because Ren was taller than he was. Tokiya leveled Masato with a warning glare.

Masato had never looked so distraught. Ren placed a comforting hand on Tokiya's shoulder, gently pulling him back.

"For what's worth it, I am sorry for my callous words last week," Masato continued, his voice remorseful and sad.

"Well, actually," Ren ran his fingers through his hair sheepishly, "It's not because of Hijirikawa..."

Tokiya swiftly elbowed Ren, his features darkening at the blatant lie, to which Ren hastily amended, "Okay, maybe I was slightly offended," Tokiya glared at him at the non-truth, "but I thought it was a good time for me to get into the headspace of a serious character, perfect my acting skills a little bit more... So, what do you think? Has my acting skills improved?"

Silence reigned the room again as STARISH stared at Ren in disbelief. Only Syo managed an incredulous "You!"

Ren wasn't the one to erupt into uncontrollable laughter until he was doubled over clenching his stomach, but today, STARISH was granted a rare sight of Ren laughing without restraint.

"You... You should have seen your faces! So hilarious! I wanted to laugh but it would have spoiled everything so I didn't but it was so funny! Hahaha!"

STARISH waited patiently for Ren to calm down, to regain his breath and composure. They were smiling warmly at the sight, at how Tokiya hovered nearby Ren, a silent show of support and a pillar of strength.

Ren finally straightened up, wiping a few errant tears of laughter. He was still grinning, but this time, it wasn't the usual fake grin Ren plastered on his face to mask his feelings - the smile was genuine and sincere.

Ren regarded his friends warmly. "Tadaima."

"Okaeri nasai, Ren."


End file.
